Latex Weapons

Personally I carry and use both at every event I go to. For me what it comes down to is the craftsmanship of the blade being used, either style can become unsafe depending on the construction, and if they break or fall apart.
 
I, admittedly biased, very much dislike latex weapons. Every bloody accident I have ever seen in Alliance combat has either been skinned knees or caused by a latex weapon. They are heavy, often bendy, and almost always shorter than the maximums. They look great, and as a prop, I'm sure they are great. For actual fighting though, I would always suggest anything else. Even a shaped blade that isn't latex is better, in my opinion.

And let's not even talk about latex in the cold...
 
I borrowed some latex weapons from a friend for an event, and I felt it hit really hard. It might have been the dense foam or the aerodynamics, or my lack of experience with that blade, but I had more folks complaining of my heavy-hand than ever before. To be sure, it was a commercial weapon and I don't know whether the company built them for looks or for light-touch combat. Either way, it was very pretty.
 
I prefer latex weapons overall, if they're done by a reputable company that has decent QC. The extremely cheap ones tend to have minimal foam and are not terribly safe. Hitting hard is a problem with the user, not the weapon. We're a light-touch game, not a sufficient force game.

That said, I almost exclusively use boffers because they have a huge safety factor built in and don't have the troubles latex does with hardening in cold weather, and are easier on other people's weapons and shields given the prevalence of worn boffers and insulation foam shields in NPC camps.
 
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